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Old 06-12-2022, 10:17 PM   #1
ylair
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 517486
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: NYC
Vehicle:
2012 STI Hatch
DGM

OMGHi2U 2012 STI Hatch, AM Camera and Tail light not working

Hey all,
I wired and installed an AM backup camera and tail lights on my 2012 Subaru STI Hatch, tapping into the license plate light for power when shifting into reverse. The backup camera is connected to an AM head unit that I installed. Regarding wiring, to power the inner backup LEDs of the tail light I tapped into the power wire of the license plate light as directed by the installation guide from Spyder Auto. Then for the backup camera, I believe (as I wired this last summer) that I tapped into the power wire of the tail lights that is tapping into the license plate light rather than tapping directly into the license plate light as well. Initially everything worked great, but after a short time shifting into reverse refused to trigger both the camera and inner LED lights of the tail light (the rest of the tail light works fine because it is wired separately). The part that has me scratching my head is that for some reason both trigger if I pull back on the shifter while in reverse or in other words holding the shifter back while in reverse triggers power to both the camera and inner LED backup lights. While troubleshooting last summer, I checked the wiring with a multimeter and could not find a short at any of the connections. Additionally, I tried to tap the backup camera directly into the license plate light rather than bypassing and going into the tail light line, but it did not work even though the multimeter showed that the backup camera wire was receiving power.

I am at a loss for which direction to go with troublehshooting. I purchased another backup camera, but as rewiring the backup camera from the stereo to the rear of the car was quite time consuming I am not eager to do it again unless that is the only option.

Some questions I have that would be helpful to know the answers:
How much power is supplied to the license plate light?

Could it be overloaded by the camera and inner LED's drawing power?
Why would holding back on the shifter while in reverse suddenly provide power and trigger both?
Could doing so, allow the current to bridge in some way?

Any helpful thoughts or ideas, which may point me in the right direction are all greatly appreciated.
The models of the involved AM parts are listed below. Thanks ahead of time.

Spyder 08-14 Subara Impreza WRX Hatchback LED Tail Lights Seq Signal
Tail Light Install

AM Backup Camera
AM Head Unit
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Last edited by ylair; 06-13-2022 at 11:09 AM.
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Old 06-28-2022, 04:34 PM   #2
mtbwrxwagon
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Member#: 66348
Join Date: Jul 2004
Chapter/Region: South East
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Vehicle:
2014 WRX
World Rally Blue

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I read a bit of your story but when I got to the part where you connected to the license lights, I think that's where you made a mistake. I'm currently connecting a backup camera myself and from what I understand, you should connect it to the reverse lights for it to kick in when in reverse.
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Old 07-11-2022, 02:14 PM   #3
ylair
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 517486
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: NYC
Vehicle:
2012 STI Hatch
DGM

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I suspect you are correct, but it would be a matter of voltage, as both the license plate lights and reverse lights trigger power when shifted into reverse. I connected to the license plate lights as the AM installation video for the rear lights (linked above minute 11:00) advises tapping into the license plate light to power the inner tail light. I believe my backup camera installation advised the same, but the combination was drawing too much power. Ill update after I troubleshoot this summer.
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